HELSINKI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Three individuals were killed in a shooting in the central Swedish town of Uppsala on Tuesday, Swedish Television (SVT) reported.
Police confirmed at 7:25 p.m. (1725 GMT) on their website that the incident is being investigated as a murder.
The shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Vaksala market area in downtown Uppsala. The suspect fled the scene. Police have cordoned off a large area, and railroad services from Uppsala were temporarily suspended but resumed later, according to SVT.
Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) quoted the police as saying that the incident had many witnesses, as there were crowds of people preparing to celebrate the First of May, a major festival in the country.
"We are trying to get a grasp of what has happened. This is a serious event. We are working with full force," a police spokesman told DN.
According to DN reports, the shooting took place inside a hairdresser's salon. Some people witnessed a masked suspect fleeing on an electric bicycle. ■
